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Book Review of The Sex Lives of Cannibals : Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific

The Sex Lives of Cannibals : Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific
nrlymrtl avatar reviewed on + 297 more book reviews


Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas) was an unknown place to me before I listened to this book. Just getting there was an adventure, with pigs on the runway and museum-quality airplanes. Once there, the culture shock hits on so many fronts.

While the beginning of the book lagged a bit for me, starting off in North America with Troost dodging a financial responsibility of finding a job, I thoroughly enjoyed the other 4/5ths of the book set in Kiribati. The authors honest portrayal of the islanders in all their humor and endurance of island living was well rounded. I especially enjoyed the author trying to see things through Kiribati eyes how insane or rude or ignorant are the foreigners? The chapter dealing with the island dogs how they are seen more of as a nuisance and possible food source was a bit hard because of my cultural background, but was explained well by the author. Over all, this book is laced with humor and honesty of the authors experience of his time in Kiribati.